Swine Flu

Swine flu is an illness otherwise known as swine influenza, hog flu, pig flu, or pig influenza. In its human form, it was called H1N1 type A influenza when it broke out in 2009. Contrary to popular belief, the disease can only be passed from human to human and not from pigs to humans. That only occurs in extremely rare cases when humans have prolonged direct contact with pigs that have been infected with the virus. The disease is called swine flu because the virus found in humans contains remnants of the version of the virus that is typically found in pigs. It is called a “reassortant” virus because it includes a mix of genetic components from the swine, avian, and human strains.

The outbreak of H1N1 in 2009 is now known as “2009 H1N1” because it has since changed in its composition. In fact, it changes seasonally. Currently, most people have some immunity to strains of the virus after being infected or getting a past vaccination. The vaccines are modified each season to accommodate for this genetic drift.

Symptoms

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to symptoms that are normally associated with the flu. These include a sore throat, fever, nasal secretions, cough, fatigue, lethargy, headache, body aches, chills, and diarrhea or vomiting or both. Symptoms tend to appear between one and three days following exposure to the virus. They can last for up to eight days. Most people are able to recover from the swine influenza in a matter of days.

The swine flu has a tendency to adversely affect those who already have compromised immune systems. For instance, the elderly are at an increased risk of developing complications of the swine flu. Complications can include an increased strain on other chronic conditions. For instance, heart disease, asthma, AIDS, or diabetes are all chronic conditions that can be severely worsened by an episode of swine flu. Other complications include the development of pneumonia, seizures, delirium, or respiratory failure.

Causes

Swine flu is passed through airborne water droplets. When someone is infected with the virus, it attacks the cells that line the upper respiratory tract, including the lungs, throat, and nose. The disease is present in their saliva and phlegm. When that person coughs, speaks, or sneezes, they project infected droplets into the air. The contaminated water droplets might be inhaled by another person and he or she can then contract the disease. You cannot catch the disease from touching a pig or ingesting pork, bacon, ham, or other pig products.

Once you have had the swine flu, you become immune to it. However, since the disease changes every season, it is possible for you to contract another strain of the virus. You might have partial immunity if you’ve been vaccinated or had H1N1 before.

Prevention

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined a list of precautions to take in order to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. The most important step you can take if you suspect you have the virus, or even if you simply feel ill, is to stay home from work or school. Once you develop symptoms, you can pass the disease on to other people.

Another suggestion is to practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially when in public places. When you sneeze or cough, try to cover your mouth as much as possible.

If someone in your household is sick with the swine flu, it is easy for everyone else to become sick. Instead of exposing everyone to the illness and risking that each person will pass it on, try to have one person responsible for taking care of the person who has the swine influenza.

Treatment

In most cases, there is no need for treatment of the H1N1 virus. Symptoms are generally mild and will pass on their own. Therefore, most doctors prescribe medication that can alleviate any uncomfortable symptoms, such as sneezing and coughing. For people that already have chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, the doctor might prescribe something to keep the airways open and reduce secretions of fluid in the lungs. Although antiviral drugs do exist to treat the symptoms of the swine flu, the virus can become resistant to these drugs fairly easily. To increase the overall effectiveness of these drugs in fighting symptoms, they are usually reserved for people with severe complications.